SEED BEAD STITCHING

Beth Stone

 

When I think of stitching, I think of all the wonderful skeins of thread and countless embroidery stitches I learned as a child.  My interest in this form of embellishment even continued into my adulthood.  The hoops were both large and small and occupied my lap or a stand on the floor.

Interestingly enough, many of the patterns in this delightful book by Beth Stone and published by Kalmbach Books remind me of this long ago interest.  The tiny seed beads creations reintroduced me to many of my embroidery stitches such as the French knot, which to me was an integral part of the Russian spiral variations featured on pages 82 and 85.  The bugle bead bracelets reminded me of the feather stitches which I practiced on a newly starched pillow case.  I vividly remember the charming little daisy chains which I embellished on my mother’s tea towels as I viewed the jewelry presented in the various projects in this book.

Thanks to Beth Stone, many of the seed bead patterns rekindled my love of stitchery from the past, and a new appreciation of the transformation of “stitchery” with beads into the present.  Very good explanation of various types of seed beads and supplies needed to start and complete all of the projects. 

This book definitely offers the young and old beader “creative variations on traditional techniques” using the peyote stitch, brick stitch, right angle weave, and tri and quad stitches.